Beauty Trends
11 April 2024
I’ll admit it first- when it comes to learning makeup hacks and beauty trends, TikTok is one of my go tos. Bite sized snippets of education and tips from everyone and anyone- including dermatologists, plastic surgeons and makeup artists- get me hooked. But for every viral trend or useful bit of information gleaned from TikTok, there are also videos and trends that are dubious and outright dangerous. One of them: sunscreen contouring.
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The art of sunscreen contouring- to use sunscreen in small amounts over selected areas of the face and then subjecting oneself to sun exposure; in order to create naturally contoured looks. By using sunscreen as a highlighter; fans of sunscreen contouring create bronzed (read: sunburnt) contours against supposedly highlighted (read: not sunburnt) regions of their face. Sunscreen contouring, or more correctly suntan contouring, gives in the words of TikTok influencer and model, Eli Withrow, a “naturally snatched” look.
Ingenious hack or downright dangerous? Here’s what you need to know about sunscreen contouring before attempting it.
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In this viral TikTok trend, sunscreen is used in place of makeup. Sunscreen is applied on areas of the face where highlighter or concealer is normally used. For parts of the face where bronzer is normally used or where a tanned complexion is preferred, sunscreen is skipped. Sunscreen contouring of the abdomen is also practised by some TikTokers to create the illusion of a six pack.
The premise of sunscreen contouring is that UV exposure from the sun would tan the parts of the face where sunscreen is skipped; but “highlighted” areas with sunscreen would not be tanned. This would then give a “naturally” chiselled and contoured face, courtesy of the sun.
In another variant of sunscreen contouring; sunscreen with lower SPF is applied to the whole face. Another sunscreen with higher SPF rating is applied to the areas of the face intended for highlighting. Some users believe that this practice of combining sunscreens would give some UV protection, while allowing the sun to tan the skin.
One of the first celebrities to adopt sunscreen use similar to sunscreen contouring is Gwyneth Paltrow. In a highly controversial video, the Hollywood actress shared her (minimal) sunscreen routine- by dabbing small amounts of sunscreen on areas (in her own words) “where the sun really hits” -on her nose, under her eyes and cheeks; like a highlighter.
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The video went viral for the wrong reasons; and many doctors and skincare experts took to criticising the actress’ approach of using inadequate amounts of sunscreen. Afterall, the protection offered by a sunscreen is also dependent on the amount of sunscreen applied by the user. If the user applies less than adequate amounts; the UV protection of the sunscreen will be less than the stated SPF and PA value. This would give the user a false sense of security about their protection from UV rays causing skin cancer, sun burns and other signs of ageing such as hyperpigmentation.
Beyonce’s makeup artist, Sir John, has also (in)famously preached about practising sunscreen contouring. In an interview with Vogue Australia, the makeup artist disclosed that he uses a sunscreen with SPF 15 or 20 all over his face; followed by another sunscreen with SPF 80 selectively on areas of his face that he would highlight and contour- like the nose bridge, under eyes. In his own words, “It’s like permanent contour for at least three weeks”.
While we thought that this dangerous trend died a natural death; it seems to have made a comeback with a vengeance. Sunscreen contouring has gone viral on TikTok; with numerous TikTokers such as LA model Eli Withrow displaying their sunscreen streaked faces and chiselled/tanned/burnt faces in follow up videos as looking “naturally snatched”.
Leaving the sun’s UV rays to bronze and highlight your skin for natural contours on your visage? That’s if you do not get sunburns or other signs of ageing.
First of all; allowing UV rays from the sun to tan selected regions of your face simply means that the UV rays are allowed to wreak damage on the unprotected areas of the skin. While the tanned parts of the face may look bronzed; you’ll also start to find signs of premature ageing in these regions of the face such as wrinkles, enlarged pores and hyperpigmentation too. Would you like these too?
Secondly, the manner in which UV rays reach the skin can be unpredictable; so it can be hard to get an even tan or a perfectly contoured look. UV rays can reflect off surfaces to eventually reach the skin unevenly. The sun is not going to blend it in for you.
The risks of inadequate UV exposure- skin cancer, sun burns, hyperpigmentation and other signs of ageing- are very real; even with selectively leaving parts of your face protected by sunscreen.
For the slightly improved variation of sunscreen contouring- where a sunscreen with lower SPF is used as a base with another sunscreen with a higher SPF to protect ala Sir John’s method- that still is going to be enough to protect you. Using a sunscreen with SPF 15-20 only accords about 93% of protection of UVB rays. If you are using it sparingly, and below the recommended amount; the amount of protection against UVB drops again. All these factors will leave your skin vulnerable to the ravages of UV rays including skin cancer.
Still want to look naturally contoured without the risks of sun damage? Stick to good ol’ makeup- bronzers or highlighters will do the trick. You’ll get to blend and contour the way you like it too, without leaving it to the sun to do it for you. Sunscreen contouring can be unpredictable and leaves your skin vulnerable to burns, early signs of ageing and skin cancer. If you’re looking for lightweight that offer broad spectrum protection that do not pill with makeup, check out my recommendations in Sunscreen Reviews 2024, Sunscreens Reviews 2021 and Sunscreen Reviews 2019. You might also enjoy the following sunscreen related posts:
How to Prevent Your Sunscreen From Pilling
Can Asian Sunscreens Be Trusted? The Purito Controversy Explained
